Breaking the Rules

There are a million things on my to do list.  And these weren't on it ... but I finished our quarterly sales taxes and needed a little boost.  Cut a folded a few bundles of fat quarters of some of the new fabric that came in this week and whipped up three of these beauties.  Well I have to call them that but to be honestly I think I broke every rule in the book ... cutting was iffy, sewing was squiffy, marking was .. um .. non-existent.  But all in all they turned out ok.  I have enough pieces cut to make six more blocks ... do I keep going?



Oh, and ignore my foot and the floor (of my studio with whom I have a love / hate relationship).  Both were in the way but wanted to post quickly and figure out what's for dinner tonight.

I'll be back tomorrow to introduce Mary as she takes her rightful place in our gang Under the Willow Tree and post the 3rd block of Got Dots ... I missed the 15th - how did that happen??

And then of course there are Contemporary Jane blocks to show and and and .. really, things are hopping around here and it's not just the Easter Bunny ...

... seriously, have we seen enough of these? ...

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Everyone's a Winner!

Congratulations to Jennifer and Els ... you've both won a kit to make the easy-peasy Easter pennant.  Send me your addresses soon and I'll pop them in the mail to you!

But honestly, everyone is a winner! I thought I'd tell you all how to make this quick pin cushion.

I sewed mine by hand but if you're comfortable with a couple Y-seams it's not difficult to stitch by machine.

You'll need:

• Twelve 60˚ diamonds
• Six matching hexagons
• Two cute buttons

I made mine using 2" diamonds and hexagons and it measures a whopping 7" - the advantage is that I can never lose it!

Here's a pic to show you how I pieced it together.

And another to show how I  pressed my seam allowances.

Once you have this, you'll join up the side seams and sew the star on the other side.  Leave one side seam open to fill very full with batting.  

With a button on top and one below, sew through several times and pull tight.  

Enjoy!  Jovita

p.s. if you make a pin cushion, please post a pic to JPA's Flickr group, thank you!

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Crazy Spring (Give-Away)

Spring has most definitely sprung here .. gorgeous weather, sunny days, blue skies and warm nights. Yesterday we switched our winter duvet for the summer one .. and slept sooo much better for it.

Today was our monthly "Crazy" class ... instead of a typical crazy quilt we do a variety of things using various fibers and techniques.

This is today's result and I couldn't be happier ...



The nest measures just 1-1/2" (3.8cm) wide and uses 6-threads of Weeks Dye Works floss in two colors plus a few strands of 2mm silk ribbon.  The moss is worked with 2 and 3 threads in french knots of 2-3 wraps.  The leaves and flowers are both 4mm ribbon.  It's tiny and I love it!  I will smile every time I look at this little piece.

I also made this sweet egg last week using felted wool and embroidery. I tried to take a pic of it in the window of the shop but alas it's just too sunny ... sorry



But see that pennant line hanging above ... would you like to win one??  It's not complicated really ... a length of rick rack and a stack of diamonds cut from 30s repro fabric then pressed in half and hung over the line.  Voilá - it's cute, simple and hey - you can always use the fabric to make one of these pin cushions after Easter!


It's easy to enter ... just leave a comment before the end of the weekend.  I'll do a drawing on Monday and get it in the post to the winner so you can add it to your Easter decorations!

I know many of my friends are not enjoying the surprises that Mother Nature has had in store the last couple of days so I hope this cheers you up a bit ... here's a shot of my courtyard garden (the chicken wire is *supposed* to keep Whisper from trampling things)

Anyone have a theory why that one daffodil not only shot up 6" above the rest but refuses to face the sun in spite of 3 days of gorgeous sun ... Pin It Now!